message,' he whispered.
'What second message?'
'I got it last week. It was anonymous, like the other one.'
Andy Martin fixed his green eyes on the man. 'So how do you know that it didn't come from the man we've just heard on that tape?'
he asked, in an even tone.
His quarry looked down at the scratched tabletop. 'I don't,' he muttered helplessly.
'No, you don't, do you? Not if you're telling the truth, you don't.
For if we believed that you were lying to us, in any way, we'd have to look at the possibility that you were this man's accomplice.'
'Wait a minute ...'
'So prove yourself to us. Let us see the second letter.'
'I can't,' said Salmon, plaintively. 'That was what I flushed down the toilet.'
69
The detective whistled. 'I see. You are in deep shit, aren't you?'
'Appropriate, in the circumstances,' said McGuire, beside him.
'Help yourself, then,' offered Martin. 'Tell us what was in the letter.'
Salmon turned his face away from them, towards the wal of the windowless interview room, his fingers twisting, intertwined, in an unconscious show of indecision.
'Come on, Noel,' said the Head ofCID.
Salmon turned back to face them, nodding slightly as if he had reached a decision. He looked up in the silence which filled the room and opened his mouth as if to speak.
There was a knock on the brown-painted door. The handle turned.
The door swung open, revealing the bulky frame ofNeil Mcl henney.
A tall, dark-haired man stood behind him.
'What the hell is it?' snapped Andy Martin, in a rare display of annoyance.
'I'm sorry, sir,' said the Sergeant, 'but I had no choice.' He nodded over his shoulder, towards the man who followed him into the room.
'This is Mr Alee Linden. He's a solicitor, retained by the Spotlight to represent Salmon. He demanded that I bring him in here.'
The Chief Superintendent sighed heavily in his exasperation, and nodded, standing up as he did so and reaching out to switch off the tape recorder. 'You're right, Neil, you didn't have a choice. Thank you. Interview suspended.'
He turned to the lawyer, as Mcllhenney withdrew. 'I don't think we've met, Mr Linden.'
The man shook his head. 'No. I'm senior partner of Herd and Phillips, in Glasgow.' Martin recognised the name of the biggest criminal law firm in Scotland. 'I was instructed by Mr Salmon's employers immediately after they heard of his arrest on a radio news bulletin. They are naturally concerned that he is being persecuted because of the story in today's issue of their magazine. So am I.
'I understand from your Sergeant,' said Linden, brusquely, 'that you are questioning my client over his possession of an unlisted telephone number.'
'That, and his possession of a quantity of cocaine.'
The solicitor frowned. 'I wasn't aware of that. You'l do me the courtesy of allowing me a few minutes alone with my client?'
'Of course. Give us a cal when you're ready.' The two detectives stepped outside, into the corridor, where Mcllhenney waited. 'What do you think, sir?' asked McGuire.
'I think he'll piss all over us,' said Martin glumly. 'Fuck me, Neil, if you'd only stopped to tie your shoelace before you knocked on that door. We had Salmon by the stones right then.'
The sergeant looked crestfal en. 'Christ, boss, but I'm sorry.'
70
'Ach, never you mind, big fel a, you weren't to know.'
They stood silent in the corridor for almost ten minutes, before the door opened, and Linden's face appeared. 'Gentlemen, we're ready for you now.' Martin and McGuire re-entered the room, and resumed their seats across the table from Salmon and his new adviser.
'I'll come straight to the point,' said the solicitor. 'On the matter of the cocaine, my client maintains that it was introduced to his premises without his knowledge by his lady-friend. On the matter of the telephone number, it is not an offence simply to possess such information, and you have no evidence whatsoever that it was obtained corruptly. Also, my client denies any knowledge of, or
'What second message?'
'I got it last week. It was anonymous, like the other one.'
Andy Martin fixed his green eyes on the man. 'So how do you know that it didn't come from the man we've just heard on that tape?'
he asked, in an even tone.
His quarry looked down at the scratched tabletop. 'I don't,' he muttered helplessly.
'No, you don't, do you? Not if you're telling the truth, you don't.
For if we believed that you were lying to us, in any way, we'd have to look at the possibility that you were this man's accomplice.'
'Wait a minute ...'
'So prove yourself to us. Let us see the second letter.'
'I can't,' said Salmon, plaintively. 'That was what I flushed down the toilet.'
69
The detective whistled. 'I see. You are in deep shit, aren't you?'
'Appropriate, in the circumstances,' said McGuire, beside him.
'Help yourself, then,' offered Martin. 'Tell us what was in the letter.'
Salmon turned his face away from them, towards the wal of the windowless interview room, his fingers twisting, intertwined, in an unconscious show of indecision.
'Come on, Noel,' said the Head ofCID.
Salmon turned back to face them, nodding slightly as if he had reached a decision. He looked up in the silence which filled the room and opened his mouth as if to speak.
There was a knock on the brown-painted door. The handle turned.
The door swung open, revealing the bulky frame ofNeil Mcl henney.
A tall, dark-haired man stood behind him.
'What the hell is it?' snapped Andy Martin, in a rare display of annoyance.
'I'm sorry, sir,' said the Sergeant, 'but I had no choice.' He nodded over his shoulder, towards the man who followed him into the room.
'This is Mr Alee Linden. He's a solicitor, retained by the Spotlight to represent Salmon. He demanded that I bring him in here.'
The Chief Superintendent sighed heavily in his exasperation, and nodded, standing up as he did so and reaching out to switch off the tape recorder. 'You're right, Neil, you didn't have a choice. Thank you. Interview suspended.'
He turned to the lawyer, as Mcllhenney withdrew. 'I don't think we've met, Mr Linden.'
The man shook his head. 'No. I'm senior partner of Herd and Phillips, in Glasgow.' Martin recognised the name of the biggest criminal law firm in Scotland. 'I was instructed by Mr Salmon's employers immediately after they heard of his arrest on a radio news bulletin. They are naturally concerned that he is being persecuted because of the story in today's issue of their magazine. So am I.
'I understand from your Sergeant,' said Linden, brusquely, 'that you are questioning my client over his possession of an unlisted telephone number.'
'That, and his possession of a quantity of cocaine.'
The solicitor frowned. 'I wasn't aware of that. You'l do me the courtesy of allowing me a few minutes alone with my client?'
'Of course. Give us a cal when you're ready.' The two detectives stepped outside, into the corridor, where Mcllhenney waited. 'What do you think, sir?' asked McGuire.
'I think he'll piss all over us,' said Martin glumly. 'Fuck me, Neil, if you'd only stopped to tie your shoelace before you knocked on that door. We had Salmon by the stones right then.'
The sergeant looked crestfal en. 'Christ, boss, but I'm sorry.'
70
'Ach, never you mind, big fel a, you weren't to know.'
They stood silent in the corridor for almost ten minutes, before the door opened, and Linden's face appeared. 'Gentlemen, we're ready for you now.' Martin and McGuire re-entered the room, and resumed their seats across the table from Salmon and his new adviser.
'I'll come straight to the point,' said the solicitor. 'On the matter of the cocaine, my client maintains that it was introduced to his premises without his knowledge by his lady-friend. On the matter of the telephone number, it is not an offence simply to possess such information, and you have no evidence whatsoever that it was obtained corruptly. Also, my client denies any knowledge of, or
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